


stories of the gentle fall

by promisin



Series: reach out (and hold back) [1]
Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Ensemble Cast, Hurt/Comfort, Lio whump, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:21:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21696850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/promisin/pseuds/promisin
Summary: In the immediate aftermath, life goes on.It's disappointing, and annoying that he can know someone for such a short amount of time and have them affect him so much. He feels like there's a tugging in his chest that won't go away, but following it is leading him in circles. There's no magical entity leading him to his destiny anymore: that's been and gone, done and dusted. He needs to find his own way now.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Series: reach out (and hold back) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1563964
Comments: 21
Kudos: 280





	stories of the gentle fall

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the first part of my self indulgent post-canon fic. Please let me know if there are any missing tags, and enjoy!

They save the world.

What happens next for Lio leaves little time to properly process it; getting all the captured people out of the pods, sorting out medical care, sorting out shelter for everyone who's been displaced, helping people find their families and friends, trying to find out who didn't make it and informing the right people, and that's just on the burnish side of things. 

Exhaustion had taken a hold of him years ago, and the familiar need to keep, keep going is all that's holding him together. If he stops- no, he can't even think about stopping because he has no choice as Lio Fotia, head of Mad Burnish and these are his people. Stopping would be letting them down so close to the finish line.

(He doesn't think about how the finish line keeps moving. Just last week, it was to get the captured burnish to the settlement.)

Besides, the citizens have the city to help them- the burnish only have Lio.

To be fair to the Burning Rescue Department, they're doing their best to arrange help to the recently tortured population, but the burnish are not used to the help and unwilling to trust. Galo was also pulled away for relief efforts, no matter how much he wanted to stay, and Lio had placated him with a smile and a promise that he would be okay. 

It isn't until his lightheadedness makes him stumble and he grabs a piece of rubble that slices his palm when he realises that the Promare are really, truly gone. He watches in mild fascination the blood which pools in his palm and drips, red and wet onto the ground. It hurts, but not nearly as much as literally anything that's happened to him today, so he wipes his hand on his trousers and moves on, pushing himself despite his limbs getting heavier and more uncooperative. 

The world gets dimmer, and fuzzier, until there is nothing.

Lio fights to wake up. His body is uncooperative and stiff, but the simple fact that he's waking up means that he's wasted time. Forcing his eyes open, he sees that he's in a tent with other injured (taking up space when he's  _ fine _ ) and he sits up abruptly- perhaps too abruptly, as the motion tips him over with a wave of dizziness where he lands on the hard ground, more uncomfortable than before. 

Someone tries to help him up, but he shakes his head, sitting up again but slower this time. It's a burnish, with bandages that cover half her face and wrap around her arm. She looks concerned, and it takes Lio a while to even notice she's talking to him. He smiles at her, hoping that it would make her feel better. It works as she backs off, leaving him in his own little bubble again. 

The world is muted. It's cold. He can feel everyone looking at him. Waiting. They need a leader, their leader, and Lio isn't sure if he's that person anymore- before, where he had the promare's power, he lead them because his flame burned the brightest and he had to. Now… Now, there's no time to worry. There's still so much to do. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. 

Even though there's no longer a chain of fire that connects them, the bonds they forged still exist, and their shared experiences at the hands of Kray - a betrayal by one of their own - only served to strengthen that. Right now, they're expecting something from him, and he'll be damned if he lets them down.

He goes back to the engine, once jobs have been assigned, and Lio leads a small team who are well enough to dig through the rubble for survivors. He didn't expect to find the bodies - they had always returned to ashes - so uncovering someone's glazed stare had made him physically sick. It only makes him more determined, work harder to make sure even those who aren't alive to see the victory can have a proper death. 

Meis and Gueira find him when he's lifting a particularly large piece of metal that had collapsed and almost surprise him into dropping it. 

"Boss!" Meis shouts, when the metal sheet is propped up securely (revealing nothing but more rubble, to everyone's disappointment and relief).

"Hello Meis. Gueira. I thought you guys were taking register?" Lio wipes his hands against his pants, the only thing that survived yesterday's fights. Gueira is taking off his own jacket and wrapping it around Lio, to his displeasure, but he was cold and still shirtless, so he accepts it. 

"We were, but we heard you were up and thought you might need some help." Gueira responds, spinning Lio around to zip up the jacket and tighten the belt in an attempt to make it fit the smaller boy better.

"Good thing we did, too." Meis grabs Lio's hands when Gueira is done and inspects them. They're black with soot and stings with the contact. Lio also may have forgotten he cut it yesterday, and at some point it reopened. "Dude why are you digging like this?" 

"I have to." Lio snatches his hands back and wipes them again, pointedly on Gueira's jacket this time. They look at him with identical frowns. Lio decides that he hates this new habit of people frowning at him. "There's only so many of us who can do this." 

"We can do it." He's lead away by Meis, who sits him down and pulls done bandages from a pocket, "I knew you'd need this," he mutters, taking Lio's hand with more care than Lio deserves. 

He doesn't protest, knowing that it's helping Meis as much as it's helping him. Lio understands the need to be doing  _ something _ useful, and if this is how Meis is channeling that, then so be it. Gueira is swearing at something a few steps away, yelling at the apparently haphazard way that Lio had stacked rubble before they arrived. A thunk follows. He shares a look with Meis, and they both giggle, which only brings Gueira's attention back to them and he cheeses Lio again, but he's smiling too. 

Like this, it's almost easy to think they're back to being Mad Burnish, scavenging supplies instead of bodies. The thought makes Lio sober, and as soon as Meis is done with his hands he stands back up. Meis seems to understand, and while he looks disapproving, he follows Lio back to sorting the rubble. 

It's comfortable working with company; there were seven of them digging before, two groups of three and Lio. Now there are three groups of three, clean up seems to be going much quicker. Rubble goes to a designated tip-pile, any survivors to a medical tent and bodies laid out so they can be identified and then decide what to do with them later. Lio thinks that they can probably be cremated, but wants to confirm with the rest of the burnish first.

They break for a lunch of rations distributed by the Promepolis City Disaster Relief. It's not much, and Lio is tempted to save his to give to some of the kids who he saw in the medical tent earlier, but he doesn't remember the last time he ate and he can't stop eating after the first bite. 

He also picks out a new shirt from a pile of donated clothes that some volunteers are handing out, one that is a little too big and hangs off one shoulder if he moves a certain way, but he feels better wearing it than stealing Gueira's jacket. Lio returns it by throwing it at him and slipping away before they can wrestle it back into his body. 

Lio makes a start with trying to find Galo, but so many people are moving around and a whole lot of them are in the Burning Rescue uniform, he finds nothing- not even the other members of squad 3.

It's disappointing, and annoying that he can know someone for such a short amount of time and have them affect him so much. He feels like there's a tugging in his chest that won't go away, but following it is leading him in circles. There's no magical entity leading him to his destiny anymore: that's been and gone, done and dusted. He needs to find his own way now, and absent mindedly, Lio wonders if there's something wrong with his chest and the tugging is more throbbing than gut instinct. 

Not wanting to waste too much time, Lio decides to move on and visit the burnish refugee tents, see if there's anything he can do there and to discuss what is going to happen. He feels guilty that it was him who lead the Freeze Force straight to their community, even though cognitively he knows that the traitor was the reason they were tracked, and it was Vulcan's fault for destroying it, and even Kray's fault for making the order. Thousands of people without a home now. 

He's greeted with warm smiles when he enters, kids running into his legs as soon as they are him. Lio is glad that this, at least, was not destroyed. He gives each of the kids a head ruffle and picks up the smaller ones for a swing.

The adults also swarm him, and he's overwhelmed by information. The burnish register is missing two hundred and forty people still, and that's just those who have family looking for them. There have been talks of relocation of the settlement to just outside of Promepolis, but the scale of the housing required means that buildings would likely not be ready for a few months at least. Temporary accommodation is still being set up and they'll likely be ready by the end of the week, would Lio like to go inspect it first? Those who have lost loved ones like the idea of cremation, so that also needs to be arranged. 

Lio takes the reports one by one, and answers questions he knows the answers to. The kids get bored of hanging off of him when he's being talked at and run away, letting in more people to come speak to him- some only just to give their thanks. 

Luckily, someone from the settlement committee spots him having trouble with all the attention and guides him away from the main crowd, into a smaller partition of the tent. Inside is sat most of the group he recognises as those who were in charge of the Volcano Settlement. 

"I'm sorry." He starts, bowing his head in respect for those missing. The man who saved him from the crowds, Pyrix, follows suit. 

"We hope they are just missing, Lio Fotia." Pyrix sits down on the ground and pats the space next to him for Lio. "This is a difficult time for us." 

"It is." Lio agrees, and a silence stretches as they all wait for him to say something. Lio doesn't know what to say, though. He's never been one for politics, preferring instead to be moving to the paperwork that comes with people management. He was an activist (terrorist, according to some) and always in the field helping. Those he had helped would then be sent to the settlement where the committee takes over housing, jobs, even therapy. 

Another member, Lina, clears her throat. 

"We've been invited to speak to the Promepolis City Board regarding the burnish, or rather, ex-burnish population." She starts, and Lio nods for her to continue. "I know you normally delegate the admin to us, but we would like your opinion on this. There are a lot of burnish who aren't happy staying in Promepolis permanently and the board are only willing to provide some housing at the city outskirts. The decision on where exactly is up to us- is there somewhere you feel strongly for? It won't be possible to move back near the volcano, it's too far and outside of Promepolis jurisdiction." 

"That's fine, those who want to stay can stay, and those who want to go can go." He replies, "are the refugees getting individual compensation?"

"Yes Boss, but the exact sum has yet to be determined." 

"So we can build another settlement ourselves if need be. It'll already be more than we had." Lio nods, "Anything else?"

"Yes, Boss; the new housing will be a mix of ex-burnish and citizens who have had their homes destroyed in the fallout." She winces here, Lio feels his headache get worse. 

"I see. I take it that people aren't happy about that." 

"No!" Pyrix interrupts, startling both Lio and Lina. "This is just asking for trouble." 

"There's no way for people to distinguish been those who are ex-burnish and those who were not." Lio comments, but he knows that it's not entirely true- though the promare did its best on fixing people up upon its departure, those who were less in tune with it were less lucky and left with permanent scars and injuries. The way they hold themselves is different around non-burnish, too; smaller, trying to be as innocuous as possible to not get noticed. 

"That's shit and you know it." Pyrix grumbles, catching Lio in his uncertainty.

"We have a choice. We don't have to stay there." Lio retorts, "I will help you guys rebuild another settlement if that's what it takes." It seems to placate Pyrix.

"Okay. That is all." Lina bows, while Lio stands back up. "Although… one last thing." 

"Yes, Lina?" 

"Please take care of yourself." She smiles softly, stepping forward to ruffle Lion's hair, and to gently brush it with her fingers. 

"I will, don't worry." He nods again, and leaves the tent. 

Lio refuses to go back to the medical tent, because he's fine damnit, and he doesn't want to go with the other burnish (ex, his mind reminds him) because he doesn't want to be put on a pedestal. He's never considered himself a shy person, but without anything backing him up, Lio isn't sure he deserves to be held in as high a regard as he is. The experience with the committee only served to make him feel more guilty about it. If they want his opinion and direction, fine. There's no one else stepping up right now, so he'll do it, but it doesn't make him feel good. 

What he wants is to find Galo, but there's still no sign of him to be found. Lio assumed that he would also be in the relief efforts, handing out care packages and reuniting lost family members, but either they've just missed each other or he's been dragged off elsewhere. 

What he ends up doing is finding a small corner, between the back of a tent and a building. It's colder than he expected, the shirt not as effective as he thought it would be. Lio had forgotten the feeling, honestly, until his flame had burned out yesterday. 

Now, it bites into his fingers and toes, crawls up his limbs like a tingling snake that's numbing everything as it goes. He wonders how long it would take for people to find him. Gueira and Meis may have known promare-Lio well enough to find him even when he didn't want to be found, but he's not promare-Lio anymore, and this Lio can't burn a path of destruction, or beat up some city official or both until he felt better. 

Lio is interrupted by his thoughts by a sneeze, and it's only now he realises he's shivering. He should probably go somewhere warm, wherever that is, but the idea of moving is unappealing. It's all good fantasising about fire, but he can't muster any energy to do anything about it. The floor is cold and the breeze only makes it colder even though he has shelter. He sneezes again, and winces when he realises he doesn't have anything to wipe his nose with. God, he's going to have to use his sleeve like some kind of animal. 

He struggles to get up, trying to use the wall and grimacing when the rough surface presses into the cut on his palm. Being upright brings its own set of challenges that was not present before he sat down: dizziness that almost kicks him back over, vision that does not clear even when he blinks and a chill that gets worse now that he's not hugging his knees. 

By some stroke of luck he bumps into the pink-haired woman from Galo's squad  _ (Aina?) _ as he steps out of the shadow of the tent. She grabs into him by his arms, which is just as well because Lio can feel himself sinking again, and her hands are so warm. He leans into her without thinking. 

"Hey, Lio, everyone's looking for you…" she starts, but when he doesn't respond immediately, she gives him a shake. "Jeez, how long have you been out? You're freezing." 

She eases him back to the ground - rude, he'd just gotten up - and prods his cheeks, forehead and neck, pushing her fingers into the soft bit under his jaw. Lio makes a confused noise and tries to shy away from her touch, but his attempts are futile.

Aina removes her own jacket and wraps him in it, her residual body heat burning Lio's skin. He hates it, and squirms while she wraps it tighter and ties the sleeves together to prevent his escape. 

"I'm going to call someone over okay? We'll have to take you inside." She tells him, kinder than he's used to. She types something into a device pulled from one of the pockets in the offensively red pants they wear, and while they wait she plops down onto the ground next to him. He's getting drowsy, now that he's starting to warm up in his burrito. 

Lio is a little startled when Aina starts patting his head, and were he not so tired, he'd protest. She nudges him, too, and tries to make conversation. He doesn't feel much like talking, but she says something like ' _ just try to stay awake _ ' so he does his best to contribute with grunts where necessary. 

Apparently, they had dragged Galo kicking and screaming into the infirmary to get a medical, just to make sure he's alright. He wasn't, had a mild concussion and was dehydrated and exhausted, so they had stationed Lucia in his room to make sure he didn't run off. 

Unfortunately, Lucia is a terrible enabler, so Aina was also kept on guard, which was fine because she'd also been running on fumes by the end of it and didn't have a Burning Firefighter Soul to keep her going. He finally fell asleep by the time they heard a commotion about Lio being missing, and Aina wanting to get moving again offered to help look. 

The communication between the burnish relief efforts and the non-burnish relief was apparently terrible, because neither side trusted the other, which is why it took so long to even find out Lio wasn't looked after properly. Lio makes a noise of dissent, but Aina shushes him. It's not the burnish's fault, but the first-attenders that were assigned. They didn't know who he was, and had just placed him in a pile with everyone else. 

A small buggy arrives as she's telling him about meeting Gueira and Meis at the complex, who were both distressed at his disappearance, and she stands up to speak to the driver. They open up the back and Aina comes back to pick Lio up and put him in it, taking a seat in the back with him. 

"Thanks sis," she says to the driver. "Let's get him to the hospital." 

"Sure thing." The sister says, and they're off. Lio tries his best to stay awake, but despite his and Aina's best efforts, he falls asleep before they arrive. 

When Lio wakes up, it's daytime again and he's in a bed. Weird, because he's sure he hasn't slept in one since, God, he doesn't even remember. The mattress is hard but it's softer than the floor, and there's something up his nose and down his throat and tugging back at his arm when he tries to move it. 

Lio opens his eyes fully to look around and is surprised that he's on his own with a room to himself. It's obviously a hospital room, because the thing on his arm is attached to an IV and something is breathing for him. If he concentrates, he can recall hazy moments of lucidity, but not what was happening or who was there. 

While he's not stupid enough to go ripping out medical equipment that's clearly doing a job for him, he is annoyed at his situation. With nothing else to do, all he feels is an acute not-there-ness of the promare. His mind is too quiet, his body too cold. 

He would compare it to missing a limb, but it's more like he's missing his entire soul. The whispers that turned out to be interdimensional fire beings are missing, but they left behind the need to burn in Lio, and he's not sure how to channel it. Especially not in this state. 

He's getting tired again, even though he hasn't been awake for long. Fighting it is futile, so perhaps it would be good to not be conscious for a while, if only so he doesn't have to suffer the emptiness in his core. 

The next time Lio wakes up fully, the thing in his throat is gone, and the pressure in his chest has lessened. The IV is still attached, but the ability to breathe by himself is mildly novel. He shifts slightly to try and get more comfortable (which is a noble goal in a bed barely better than the floor) and the movement alerts whoever else is in the room to his status.

"Boss!" Twin cries call out, too loud too quickly. They repeat themselves, quieter this time, when they see Lio flinch from the noise. " _ Boss! _ "

Lio opens his mouth to say something but his lips crack painfully and his throat is too sore to form words. 

One of them starts panicking and shuffling around in a frenzy not really achieving anything. Lio can't see who it is, but he can hear that they're pacing frantically. The other presses a button that looks like it does nothing, but Meis assures will call nurses over. 

Unfortunately, when the nurse arrives, he shoos the duo out (though not without protest and tears). Lio is then asked some questions, temperature and blood sample taken, and then finally, Gueira and Meis are let back in. 

"Boss!" They cry again, and Lio is mildly regretting telling the nurse that his visitors can return. He clears his throat again, sipping on the water they gave him. 

"Hello guys." He says, not entirely sure how to deal with a situation like this. Lio was always the first one back on his feet, burning himself back into shape and ready to go. There's no time to rest when he's on the run, so the fact that he's needed to is unfamiliar territory. 

"You didn't tell us you weren't feeling well!" Gueira starts, grabbing say one of his hands. Meis moves over to the other side of the bed to grab the other. 

"You wandered off by yourself and passed out again!" He chides. Great, they're tag-teaming him. "You were hypothermic, which developed into pneumonia, and some other kind of infection, and had broken ribs to top it off!" 

"I didn't know," Lio says, because he didn't. "I just thought I was adjusting to not having the promare." 

They're both quiet, at that. It's something they're all dealing with, although Lio can only speak for himself for what it feels like to him. He can admit that maybe he should have caught on earlier though. "I got stuck in my own head, sorry."

"We should've known." Meis says, squeezing Lio's hand. "You're our Boss, but you lost more than all of us." 

"And for that we almost lost you." Gueira nods his agreement, frowning slightly as he chooses his words. He seems to realise that he's getting awfully deep into mushy territory. "Aww man, and with so much happening you seemed fine, I just thought," 

"It's not your fault." Lio interrupts, pulling both his hands back from their holds so he can pat them in what he hopes is a comforting manner. "We're in a new world."

They stare back at him with watery eyes, and Lio offers his arms to them, opening up for a hug which they both lean in to (and one which Gueira has to be careful about because he's on the side with the IV). 

They're still hugging it out when the door opens again, and someone joins in too aggressively before anyone even registers the third visitor. Lio grimaces, Meis and Gueira see and start growling at the intruder who turns out to be Galo Thymos himself. 

They all detach themselves from Lio, who is prodding his neck gently and breathing a little harder than he was before. 

"You've gotta be gentle with him, dude's recovering!" Gueira stabs a finger at Galo's forehead, who in his defense is looking sheepish and concerned. Lio, who's never had to be treated gently in his life, makes a disapproving noise too.

"Sorry for squeezing so hard, I just got excited." Galo shuffles to the side, "You're awake!" 

"I am." Lio smiles, although, he doesn't feel like he's going to be for much longer. 

Galo immediately launches into a rant about how they were going to find Lio so that he wouldn't be so bored in _ his _ hospital room, but then they find Lio and Aina wouldn't let Lio visit because she's rude, and then when he was finally released a day later she admits that Lio was actually also in hospital, but no one is allowed to visit him so that's why she didn't want Galo to know and immediately run off to find where they were keeping him. (It was the ICU, Meis points out, but is ignored completely.)

And now Lio is finally awake and Galo wasn't even present! He pouts and lays over Lio's legs on the bed, seemingly done with everything he had to say. Lio pats his head, smoothing the bright blue spikes into the sheets. He isn't sure what to say, isn't used to so much enthusiasm which isn't directed at a cause. 

"I missed you too." He settles for, Galo lifts his head to look at Lio properly. 

"I'll be mad if you leave me again. You'd never have gotten cold if you were near me!" He declares, and strikes a pose for good measure, making everyone else snigger. 

"That's not how it works, idiot." But Lio is smiling all the same. He yawns, which makes everyone freeze for some reason, and Meis starts pressing Lio back onto the bed, Galo tucking him in and Gueira awkwardly puffs up a pillow that Lio is laying on, so he manages to do little with it. But it's the thought that counts. 

There aren't enough seats for all of them, now that they aren't all sat on the bed, so there's a brief squabble on who gets the chairs because all three are determined to stay. Meis and Gueira win, but only because Galo sits himself back at the foot of the bed, cross legged. 

Lio drifts off to the idle conversation the three of them are making, feeling genuinely warm for the first time in too long.

With recovery comes longer periods of lucidity, and with that comes a Lio who is getting more and more ansty at staying in one place. Sure, he gets up every now and again to do the mandatory physio because he had been bed ridden for so long his legs forgot how to keep him upright, but it's heavily monitored and makes him feel like he's getting nowhere at all. 

People visit him regularly, at least. Gueira, Meis and Galo each day, sometimes with other guests and sometimes alone. It's one of the visits when Galo is alone when he brings a small handheld projector device and giddily breezes through until Lio caves and asks what it is. 

"This is an important message!" Galo leaps off his spot on Lio's bed and clicks the projector. It starts with a slide with a picture of the hospital, with prison bars that slide over it and the text  _ LIO'S PRISON  _ appears. 

"You're trapped, right? The hospital's a PRISON." He gestures at the bars for more effect, and clicks next. An explosion animation plays, and the prison bars disappear to a cartoon Galo carrying a similarly cartoony Lio over his head out of the explosion with the word  _ ESCAPE _ across the top. 

Lio interrupts by laughing, charmed by the amount of effort put into this, but this only spurs Galo on. He clicks the button again, and it moves onto a picture of the Burning Rescue 3. The tiny Lio and Galo run into it.

"So, you have nowhere to go right?" Big Galo asks, waiting for Lio to confirm with a nod before moving on. 

"Come stay with me!" The next slide has three pictures, and Galo turns on a laser pointer to help. "First: Varys is a great cook!" He points at a pie, that was presumably made by one of his team members. "Second: Meis and Gueira are staying!" The points at a terrible picture of what can probably be interpreted as the other two. It's out of focus and the Gueira shaped blur is heading towards the photo taker. This, of course, Lio already knows.

"Third! Vinny!" He circles the picture of a… mouse wearing a firefighter hat. Lio isn't sure how he's supposed to react. The next slide flies into the screen, with a picture of Galo himself.

"Lastly, me!" He poses next to himself, flexing his muscles the same way he is in the picture. "So? How is it?" He asks, raising his eyebrows for extra effect. 

"Idiot," Lio laughs, "You could have just asked." 

"But this was way more effective, yeah?" He finally turns the presentation off and takes a seat back by Lio's side, throwing an arm around him and dragging him into his warmth. 

"Yes." Lio flushes, still not used to the casual intimacy that Galo seems to thrive on. "So when's the escape?" 

"The escape… Is now!" He declares, jumping out and lifting Lio up out of the blanket and then, rethinking the idea, gently depositing him back on the bed. "I brought you some clothes."

Lio, who was ready to punch Galo for his man handling, grumbles and accepts bundle of FDPP branded clothes. He steps out of his hospital pajamas and slips on the shirt and pants, which turns out to be way too big, without waiting for privacy. It's not like it's anything Galo hasn't seen before, what with baring their undying souls to one another when they formed Galo de Lion together, but Galo seems to be flustered anyway to Lio's delight. 

"It's missing something…" Galo looks at him critically, and grabs his own coat that was hanging on the chair to stuff on Lio. Lio, who is now used to getting jackets placed on him, simply accepts his fate because it's probably cold outside and the coat is warm.

"Come on, big man, what's next?" 

"Um! We go out!" Galo exclaims, and they go out. Lio very much doubts that it will work because they're both wearing what can only be called conspicuous. 

Galo charms everyone by loudly chatting to them with a hand on Lio's head to hide his hair colour, and they miraculously make it out without getting caught. 

When they make it out to the Galo's motorcycle, they're both giggling like children. 

"See? Foolproof!" He throws a helmet at Lio before fastening on his own. "You can borrow this." 

Lio hasn't had to put _ on _ a helmet in a very long time (it's easy to just summon a badass flame one, which looks infinitely cooler than anything in the shops, unlike this pink monstrosity he's just been given), so he struggles a little. He hops into the seat behind Galo, only mildly jealous he isn't the one driving. 

"Hold on!" Galo shoots over his shoulder, and, well, if Lio holds on a little tighter and shuffles a little closer than he needs to, then that's between the two of them. 

Galo goes fast, but he doesn't speed - typical - so there's not a lot of time for talking while they're en route. Surprising to Lio, they're not headed straight to the headquarters, instead moving further out of the city bounds. 

Their destination is a familiar one: the large ice lake where they were unceremoniously dumped to 'cool off'. Unfortunate for Galo, it looks like he'd forgotten that the lake was a wreck instead of the beautiful vista it must have been.

"Argh, no!!" He stops, ripping his helmet off and hops onto the ground, half dragging Lio who was reluctant to let go. "I forgot!" 

"Idiot," Lio chides, then smirks as he gets an idea. "You forgot the place where we first joined our burning souls together?" 

"You- I-!" Galo splutters, looking between Lio and the crater. "Of course not! I just forgot how we got there!" 

Lio laughs again (he's been doing that a lot lately), gets off the bike proper and takes off the helmet so he can warm himself back up with Galo. 

It's still chilly here - unsurprising with how deep the ice went - so Lio is feeling particularly cold even enough he's in the thick firefighter uniform. His shivering seems to panic Galo, who runs back to the bike and rummages around. 

"I'd be surprised if you even have a shirt on you." Lio says, only to be shushed. Galo brandishes a metallic sheet with a  _ tadah! _ "Is that a shock blanket?" 

"Yeah, it'll do, c'mere!" He rips open the sheet and wraps it around himself, running back to Lio to capture him in the blanket too. Despite his declaration of 'come here', Lio did not have to move at all. Instead, he's sat down wrapped up like a dumpling with Galo at his back. 

It's nice. Different from the atmosphere back in the hospital room, for sure, since there's no one else in sight. The sun is starting to dip behind the horizon, setting the sky ablaze in a way that makes Lio's heart ache.

They haven't talked about  _ them _ yet. Yes, they've chatted and bantered in the past weeks of Lio's recovery about relief efforts, Galo catching him up on how hard they're being worked, the burnish funeral rites, even Kray's trial - something Lio didn't push, because he could feel Galo's discomfort at the subject. 

But they've yet to talk about Lio's rampage, Kray's kidnapping or the kiss. Galo de Lion has been referenced, but the emotional connection was pointedly avoided. One morning, a week ago, Galo was visiting alone and looked so soft in the dawn light, uncharacteristically quiet as if speaking would make Lio disappear. They had felt something hung in the air, waiting, but Lio didn't think it was the right time, and Galo respected that. 

He's ready now. It's just getting it out.

"I wasn't entirely serious when I said that if I'd have to stay one more week, I'd break out." He starts, referring to a conversation they had a few days ago when the entire Mad Rescue squad was in his room (against hospital regulation, but the nurses had a hard time saying no to Promepolis' darling and ex-terrorists). 

He'd been frustrated because the committee have been having trouble with meetings with the board of governors and he's been unable to attend; not that he'd be much help other than to scare them into behaving, Lucia points out, and Gueira says  _ that's the point _ . Galo had gone quiet and spent the rest of the visit whispering to Aina which went mostly unnoticed by everyone else. 

"Yeah, but you're almost better and Aina said it would probably be okay." Galo rests his chin in Lio's head.

"Thanks," he leans back, drawing Galo's arms tighter around him. "Not just today, but for everything." 

"No need. I said I'd save you, didn't I?"

"You already did," Lio objects, "But you keep doing it. You didn't have to visit me, or keep me company."

"Nonsense, it's an ongoing thing," he dismisses, but pauses all the same. "If only we didn't get separated immediately afterwards! I still had so much to say, and how were we supposed to rebuild the world  _ together _ if we weren't  _ together _ you know? The stupid city suits wanted to make sure you weren't manipulating me."

"Maybe I was." Lio raises an eyebrow, half teasing, but Galo is not finding it amusing.

"Nah, you're too honest for that." He frowns, ruffling Lio's hair. 

"You don't know that." Lio shakes Galo's hands off him, not that his hair is particularly styled - spending most of his day in bed and then on a motorcycle does not a good hairstyle make - but it's the  _ principle _ .

"Of course I do. We wouldn't be here if you weren't as straightforward as I am!" Galo laughs triumphantly as if he'd just given watertight evidence for a trial. He didn't, and Lio doesn't understand at all. Seeing the confused look on Lio's face, Galo elaborates. 

"You gave me a good fight even though you meant to get captured on purpose! You remembered my name, you cried when your people were taken away." 

"That's got nothing to do with it." Lio argues, but Galo is on a roll.

"It has everything to do with it. You could have manipulated people who trusted you to do the dirty work, but you put yourself out there. And you gave them everything you had until… until you had nothing at all." Galo takes Lio's hands in his own holding them in front of them both. He holds then like Lio is dust, ready to blow away. The reverence and care is something that is so unfamiliar to Lio that he's rendered speechless, unsure if he's supposed to give comfort or contribute. 

He settles with a muttered  _ idiot _ . It seems to break the melancholy mood because Galo shoves his face in Lio's hair and makes a noise that could be a chuckle. 

"Your idiot though." He says, after thoroughly ruining Lio's hair.

They seem to realise what was said at the same time: Galo freezing, but stubbornly locking Lio in place, and Lio whipping his head around to make eye contact that Galo is avoiding. 

He knows that when Galo's around, his heart beats a little faster, feels a little softer. He knows what it means, and he knows that Galo knows it too. The excuse of Lio being cold is something that they both use to be in each other's personal space. 

He also knows that Galo feels the same way. 

"Is this okay?" Lio asks, trying to turn around and coax Galo into facing him again with a hand against his cheek. 

"Of course." Galo replies, finally looking back down at Lio, sunset reflected in his eyes. "Of course it is, Lio." 

Then, Lio sneezes, and the magic is lost. Galo starts laughing at the flustered Lio, who is trying to find a tissue in the numerous pockets of his borrowed gear. Galo takes pity and gives him one out of his own pocket, still sniggering. 

"It's too damn cold," Lio gripes, turning around so he's settled back-to-chest again and tugging the blanket tighter around them. 

"Good thing I have a Burning Firefighter Soul to keep us warm!" Galo declares, though they're swaddled too closely to pose properly. He pecks the top of Lio's head, watching the blond hairs fluff up like a cat in Lio's embarrassment.

They sit there in a comfortable silence until the sky has darkened and the stars are fully out. Lio is dozing, enjoying the scene to the sound of Galo's heartbeat, strong and reassuring. Although they don't talk more about the  _ them _ , the acknowledgement of its existence gives Lio confidence about their future. 

They return to the hospital late at night, late enough that the employees manning Lio's ward are too tired to give them a proper telling off and readmit Lio without a huge fuss. Unfortunately Galo isn't allowed to stay, no matter how much he whines. Lio is also disappointed, of course, but he's not going to be a huge baby about it. 

When the morning comes, it comes with good news: it's discharge day. He doesn't have any belongings other than what he was wearing when admitted and the borrowed clothes from yesterday so he makes quick work of packing.

It also turns out that everyone already knew about the good news and were waiting for him in the lobby with an embarrassing amount of balloons. Everyone except for Galo, that is, who looks like he's torn between celebrating and sulking for not being told earlier. Luckily with all the commotion, no one notices Lio arrive. 

"I could have just taken him home!" Galo is crying, pushing and pulling at Aina's arm. "It was your plan!" 

"But then you wouldn't have been able to keep your mouth shut and ruined the surprise." Lucia pipes up, appearing with a piece of cake that Aina boggles at.

"How did you- that better not be Lio's cake!" She detaches Galo and makes a swipe at Lucia, who giggles and dodges out of the way. 

"Oops! Were we saving it?" 

"Quit it, we're disturbing everyone." 

"Why did no one tell meeeee…" 

With this much going on, Lio already feels a headache building up. He supposes that the inevitable union of loud characters could only lead to disaster. 

"Lio!" Galo shouts, vaporising any plans of escaping unseen. He makes a dash for Lio, not unlike an excited puppy.

"Boss!!" Gueira tries to push Galo away, but the lobby is crowded and frankly, Lio isn't that far away. He ends up bouncing off the brick wall that is Galo, pushing him further forward and straight into Lio. Lio, who is still scheduled for more physiotherapy and whose reflexes are nowhere near what they used to be. 

While he sees what is happening, he is unable to do anything but watch it play out in slow motion and braces himself for impact. 

"Jeez, he's just been freed from a hospital bed, don't go putting him back in before he's even left the building." Lucia comments, but she's got a phone in her hand taking pictures so she's clearly not that worried. 

Galo bounces up like a coiled spring, simultaneously growling at Gueira (also on the floor, looking horrified) and worrying over Lio. 

"Look what you've done!" He screeches, picking up Lio who is refusing to cooperate and being as floppy as he can. 

"You've killed him!" Gueira screams, just as loud. 

"Boss!!" Meis chimes in, because of course he does. 

"Wake up, Lio, I'm sorry!" Galo continues to wail, shaking Lio's body. 

"Everyone, shut up!" Ignis booms, and all noise ceases immediately. "We've been told to leave by the staff." 

There's a faint  _ awww _ that comes from the direction of Lucia, and the rest of them at least look guilty - except for Lio, who has his eyes closed and is playing dead.

"B- but," Galo starts, picking Lio up and cuddling him to his chest. 

"Hand him over, you're untrustworthy." Gueira demands, holding his hands out. 

Galo refuses, holding Lio tighter. 

"Actually, I'm fine." Lio pipes up, figuring that he's messed with them enough. "You can let me down." 

"Are you sure? You went down like a rock-"

"Boss-"

"I said it's time to leave." Ignis repeats, unimpressed. "Out, now." 

Sufficiently scolded, Galo gently sets Lio down and they all file out of the lobby with balloons in tow.

The ride back to the headquarters is only mildly less chaotic because Ignis is driving, and everyone seems to respect that. Lio has a feeling that their behaviour is based on a previous scolding that he wasn't privy to, but is hardly going to complain about it. 

Lio is only a little nervous when they pull into the garage of Burning Rescue 3, lovingly dubbed Mad Rescue for the time being. It's going to be the first place that Lio can call home in a long time.

He's had to make his own home, carved into his heart so that it moves with him when he runs from shelter to shelter, hideout to hideout. Mad Burnish made him realise that home could be a people, so he made space for them and leads them with all his soul. 

Now, his home has a body, in the shape of firefighting headquarters full of people who have welcomed him despite his burnish history and despite no longer being that person. It makes him soft and confused.

Everyone scrambles out of the truck, rushing inside with varying degrees of enthusiasm fuelled by the promised cake - except for Galo, who senses Lio's trepidation and hangs behind. 

_ (He still doesn't know who he is yet in this new world where his body no longer exists to burn, but-) _

"Are you ready?" Galo jumps out in front of Lio.

"Of course," he lies, and Galo raises an eyebrow because it's an obvious one. "Idiot." 

"Come on, then!" 

Galo offers his hand with a grin that Lio can't help but match.

He takes it.

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Galo asks Lucia to build him a jetpack to escape the hospital. They are foiled by the hospital windows not opening wide enough for him to fit through.  
> 2\. Mad Rescue is coined by Galo and Gueira, who are so excited by it that no one can say no.  
> 3\. The helmet Lio borrows is Aina's
> 
> Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think.


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